Research suggests that the public significantly overestimates the prevalence of clergy and fathers among abusers of children, writes Helen Goode.
Because of the hidden and secret nature of child sexual abuse, public debate and action by authorities must often rely on limited sources of information, usually based on the reports of individuals.
As recent events have shown, an individual's story often has the unique power to sensitise a nation to the suffering of many. The courageous testimony of many individuals who have suffered abuse as children has served to alert this society to a shameful reality in its midst.
As the debate about child sexual abuse evolves in Ireland, it becomes increasingly important to focus attention on the methods by which such abuse can be detected and prevented. Here, the social sciences have an important role in providing research evidence which helps to inform debate and develop policy.
A programme of research on child sexual abuse is under way at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. This includes studies on the national prevalence of sexual violence in Ireland (SAVI); the impact and management of clerical child sexual abuse; and experiences of counselling by users of the National Counselling Service for those abused in institutional care. Some of this information may usefully contribute to current debate on clerical child sexual abuse.
The results from the SAVI Report are shocking. The findings indicate that 30 per cent of women and 24 per cent of men have experienced some form of child sexual abuse and that 5.6 per cent of women and 2.7 per cent of men were raped as children or young adolescents. Forty-one per cent of those abused had never told another person (family, friend or professional) about their abuse.
The abusers about whom society is generally most concerned - strangers, fathers and clergy - constituted a minority of all abusers. They accounted for 27 per cent of all cases of child sexual abuse (21.1 per cent of abuse was by strangers, 3.2 per cent by clergy, including religious teachers, and 2.5 per cent by fathers).
Our research suggests that the Irish public significantly overestimate the prevalence of clergy and fathers who are abusers of children. Such abuse is obviously very salient and clearly acknowledges the particular public abhorrence towards these abusers given their uniquely trusted roles with children.
With regard to child sexual abuse by clergy, public outcry stems in part from the fact that individual members of the clergy are expected to observe high moral standards, but more so because disclosures of such abuse to the Catholic Church were mismanaged to the extent that protection of children was not given priority. There has been much recent speculation on the impact of child sexual abuse by clergy. What do the public actually think?
We have just completed a national survey on the impact of clerical child sexual abuse and its management on public attitudes to the church, its priests and faith in general. Most, 77 per cent, of over 1,000 members of the public surveyed believed that the Catholic Church has mismanaged child sexual abuse by its clergy. Almost all, 94 per cent, saw the church as damaged because of clerical child sexual abuse, with half of those surveyed believing that damage to be permanent.
The majority, 84 per cent, also felt that they had not been kept adequately informed about clerical child sexual abuse by the church.
While almost all, 93 per cent, said they believed in God, one-third or 36 per cent said their religious practices had been negatively affected in some way by revelations of clerical child sexual abuse.
Most, 72 per cent, believed that the majority of clergy had been unfairly judged because of the revelations. Thus, the effects of this issue are seen to extend beyond abused individuals and families to include members of the clergy and the wider church community.
Beyond the enormous psychological and social cost of such abuse by clergy, there is a unique cost in terms of "spiritual damage". These issues are currently being examined in more detail as part of our ongoing research on the impact of clerical child sexual abuse on abused individuals, perpetrators, families and clergy.
The general management of perpetrators as an issue needs to move from "revulsion" to "remedies", to quote Prof Harry Ferguson [The Irish Times, October 30th].
In our survey, we sought the views of the public on the management of clerical abusers. Asked whether priests should be allowed to return to ministry following child sexual abuse, almost all, 92 per cent, of those surveyed were opposed. However, with three conditions in place - that the priest had undergone psychological treatment, that he be supervised by another priest and that his duties not involve contact with children - a third or 36 per cent of the public would allow him back to ministry.
This suggests some level of public tolerance to rehabilitating clerical offenders in the community. Clearly the onus is on the Catholic Church (or others) to convince the public that adequate supervision is in place.
Public opinions on these issues are likely to be responsive to media revelations. We conducted the survey earlier this year, from January to May,and had interviewed just over half of our sample when the BBC documentary Suing the Pope was televised. Views obtained after this documentary were significantly more critical of the church's management of clerical child sexual abuse. It is likely that a similar change would be seen following the recent RTE documentary, Cardinal Secrets.
In this regard, most of the public surveyed believed that media coverage of child sexual abuse has been beneficial. Future public views have the possibility to be influenced significantly for better or worse by the manner in which the church responds to the current crisis.
The research findings pose at least four key challenges:
How will the Catholic Church heal the spiritual as well as the enormous psychological and social damage caused by clerical child sexual abuse?
How will the church rehabilitate and manage clerical perpetrators and,in parallel, develop a preventive approach in which child protection will be the priority?
How will the church inform, involve and convince the wider church community of its commitment to address these issues?
How will society more generally address the 97 per cent of child sexual abuse, still largely hidden, and not perpetrated by clergy?
Helen Goode is research co-ordinator for the clerical child sexual abuse study conducted with Prof Hannah McGee, director of the Health Services Research Centre and SAVI Project, and Prof Ciaran O'Boyle, chairman of the Department of Psychology at the RCSI